The present invention relates to an operational information renewing and memorizing apparatus and method for a photographing instrument such as a still video apparatus, a camera and so on.
Conventionally, a still video apparatus is constructed to memorize image information picked up from an image sensor in a recording medium such as a magnetic disk and so on, and to reproduce it as need arises. Moreover, the conventional still video apparatus is equipped with a plurality of operation switches corresponding to various functions and their operation modes.
As explained above, since the conventional still video apparatus has a plurality of operation switches for selecting various functions and their operation modes, therefore, total number of operation switches increases as the number of functions to be set and their operation modes increases, thus there is a problem such that the conventional still video apparatus has not been handy to operate.
On the other hand, the present invention also relates to a method for a photographing instrument which is capable of adjusting photographing conditions on the basis of the data which are previously set.
Conventionally, there has been proposed a camera which can memorize, as the set data, the photographing conditions such as a degree of diaphragm, a shutter speed and so on in the recording medium, and reads in these data to automatically adjust the mechanism portions of the camera to the suitable conditions. That is, a memory medium such as a ROM (i.e. Read Only Memory) or an IC card to which data relating to photographing conditions are memorized is installed in the camera, and the memorized data are read in a data reading portion which is arranged in the camera main body, then, the mechanism portions of the camera such as the diaphragm and the shutter are automatically adjusted on the basis of the memory data in the memory medium.
By using this kind of conventional camera, a photographer who is not familiar with the technology of photography can easily enjoy taking a photograph using a highly advanced photographic technology such as a daylight synchronized flash photographing.
However, the data memorized in the memory medium in the conventional camera has been not reloadable, it was therefore not possible to set special photographing conditions which a photographer intends to set occasionally and precisely in accordance with photographing circumstances, thus causing a deficiency such that the photographer cannot obtain the photograph which he or she intended, and as a result, the photographing was not satisfied with some photographers who are not familiar with the advanced photographing technology and, needless to say, beginners.